In a Rut
by Lizard Pie
Summary: Sometimes, to survive a bigger conflict, you have to create a smaller one.  To make it out of the coming war, New York must build Illinois into a rival.  OC's used.


Her bosses were very insistent that she did, in fact, know he was coming. They'd told her early on to be bathed and waiting for him at midday. Where she'd gone afterwards they didn't know, but it was by no means meant to be an insult to him.

This meeting was very important to all of them, most especially to her.

Through endless apologies, New York managed to get a tip to a particular claim on the outskirts of the urbanized area.

He found her where they'd said. She was not, however, scrubbed and presentable as they'd promised. True, the dress she was in did appear to be as new and expensive as a territorial government could manage, but she'd allowed it to become caked with dirt as she plowed.

It wasn't so much that she didn't care he was coming, it seemed, but that she didn't believe it meant more than anybody else going to the field to find her. She'd been with territories far too much, if she didn't realize that states were worth significantly more than that. Just another thing he'd have to teach her, he supposed.

Illinois waved to him, and wiped the sweat off her brow. By the time he made it over to her, there was a dripping streak of mud on her forehead.

"I'd assumed we were meeting in the town hall," he said. He resisted the urge to clean her face. "As it'd said in your letter."

"Wasn't thinking you'd come so late. It's too hot to wait in there, anymore," she said, irritably.

"The middle of the field is cooler?" New York asked.

She pouted, and begrudgingly headed back to the farmhouse. As she un-tacked her plow horse, and let it amble into the pasture, she asked, "You already received my proposal?"

"Of course," he said. "I read it again on the carriage ride over."

"Virginia did, too," she said.

He paused as she drew water from the pump. He'd expected Virginia to be on the way, what with how much responsibility she'd taken in this dissention nonsense, but to have gotten there before him… She must have left immediately upon receiving the letter. She was far more serious than he'd hoped, which wasn't a good sign.

"And?" he pressed. "What did you discuss?"

"She gave me molasses candies," Illinois said, through the washcloth she rubbed against her face. "And told me that I have friends down south."

His mouth pulled taunt for a moment, all it had before she removed the cloth and it needed to relax. "She didn't come with a boy, by chance. About your age, with blond hair?"

"He was here, but he didn't say much." She looked at him firmly. "I wasn't supposed to say all that. You won't tell them?"

He assured her he wouldn't.

Virginia had chosen her side, definitively, even if she wasn't ready to put that on record. It was a shame, he'd sincerely hoped she'd come around. It was so much easier to fight with her, rather than against her. Particularly when she sat on the border of their newly-minted capital…

"Well, they're of no matter," he said. "I really did mean to talk to you about that proposal of yours. It's a very interesting possibility to have a shipping route all the way to the Gulf." He smiled, wryly. "It will make you quite rich, if you utilize it properly."

She nodded, "That was the plan. I'll be sure to get statehood that way."

New York couldn't help but wince at the girl's haughty attitude. She was going to grow into an opportunist, to be sure, as if she wasn't already proving herself to be one. He probably hadn't been paying enough attention to these budding territories. If there were more like her, he could be getting a run for his money. They'd have to try hard to match him, but from what he'd seen so far this one in particular was determined to be troublesome.

For a territory who straddled the border between North and South, the want to become a powerhouse was a dangerous thing. She had no particular loyalties, as of yet, and while she knew that she sat in a good spot she had no appreciation for its strategic value. It was best to get a hold of her before she learned how to exploit that, as well. Her being an unavoidable shipping hub was bad enough, thank you.

One with the sort of gall to piggy-back off his canal made it… no.

Much as he wanted to punish her for hubris, the alliance he was there to build far outweighed that. As a territory dependent upon slave labor to construct herself, she could easily be swayed by the rebellious arguments. There was only one way to cement her to the Union.

With the way she eyed his satchel hungrily, she seemed eager to pick her side for something as trivial as candy. Her fingers itched, sure to root through his bag were he to turn his eyes away. The brat would need to be taught better.

"We've decided to give you the extra land you've requested off the Wisconsin territory," he explained. He kept his voice sharp to gain back her attention. "Provided you begin your proposed canal and port as soon as possible, of course."

"Thanks," Illinois said. There should have been more enthusiasm in her voice. There likely would have been, were her eyes not still glued upon the bag.

New York frowned, but removed an excess piece of licorice rope from the trip. Her eyes shone as she took it, and began to eat none too quietly.

He wondered exactly how many manners her bosses had instilled in her, as the few he had seen appeared to be lacking. That'd all change when he sent proper leadership over her, to raise her into something he could be proud to be aligned with. For now, she was a dirty thing who chewed with an over-eager mouth and had her eyes locked on unseating him from his throne.

"I know you have a canal to build," New York said. "But have you made any plans for assembling a militia?"

"The natives gonna start fighting again?" She asked. "Thought that sort of thing was quashed already."

"Something like that," New York assured her. "How long do you think it would take?"

She chewed loudly over this idea. "I don't know, at this point. The canal is going to need a lot of man power, and to spare enough for a militia on top of it… It wouldn't be easy." She looked him over nervously. "Exactly how big of a fight am I preparing for?"

"Hopefully nothing."

"But, if it's something…?"

New York looked down at her. Her eyes were much too serious for someone speaking through a large mouthful of candy, but that was the time they were entering.

He reached over, and re-did a bow which had come loose in the field. "If it's something, it might be big. But if you stay with me, I'll make sure everything turns out alright. And until then…" He moved on to fixing the mess that'd been made of once-styled hair. "I'll have to teach you how to be respectable."

It wasn't like he didn't have time, he figured. With how long it'd take her to gather the money and man power, especially if the probable conflict broke out, he'd have many opportunities to build up before she came close to challenging him.

But, then, he'd have to see.


End file.
